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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26624290">the more you take, the less you have</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/worthallyourgalleons/pseuds/worthallyourgalleons'>worthallyourgalleons</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Walking Dead (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 09:48:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,088</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26624290</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/worthallyourgalleons/pseuds/worthallyourgalleons</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>There was only one other time in his life that he didn't know, when he didn't feel it. That was the day he learned what flames could do. Flames weakened structures, ate everything in their way and then some. Ate items. Ate buildings. Ate loved ones. Ate lives and left people homeless and broken.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Daryl Dixon/Beth Greene</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>the more you take, the less you have</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>It's been like seven years since I wrote this, I swear I've become a better writer. But I couldn't rewrite it and keep the same kind of tone and so this is a dump basically.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Daryl!" Beth whined against his lips, pushing halfheartedly at his shoulder as he started to kiss her again. She was sitting up on their kitchen counter, Daryl stood between her legs as the early morning light filled the house. "You need to go to work. You'll be late."</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>He chuckled softly, pulling back to take her in. She sat in her sleep shorts and one of his worn flannels, sleep tousled hair spilling messily over her shoulders, blue eyes shining up at him. She was suppressing a grin and he couldn't help it when he pecked her on the forehead, the cheek, her lips, before he pulled away.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I'm serious. Go." She told him firmly, hopping down off the counter to follow him outside to his bike.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>He leaned down to catch her lips once more mumbling a "Have a good day, Beth." and climbing onto his bike.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"See you later." She responded, smiling.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"See you later." He echoed.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Gut feelings were usually a telltale indicator to Daryl that something was wrong. When he was young, he'd know before his pa ever darkened their doorway that he'd take a beating worse than usual, one of the ones that would land him in the hospital if he didn't hide well enough. When Merle made deals that'd get his sorry ass thrown back in jail, he'd know. He knew when places or people weren't things to get mixed up with. He knew, he knew, he knew. Except when he didn't. There was only one other time in his life that he didn't know, when he didn't feel it. That was the day he learned what flames could do. Flames weakened structures, ate everything in their way and then some. Ate items. Ate buildings. Ate loved ones. Ate lives and left people homeless and broken. Flames destroyed lives then. Flames destroy lives now.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>Sirens were blaring as police cars and fire trucks whizzed passed the small group of boys that sat on the curb of the small convenience store in their run-down neighborhood. It wasn't often they had much entertainment like that. Sure, cops came to their side of town all the time, trashy redneck folks like them caused trouble, but they rarely got shows like this was bound to be. They were quick to act, those kids, jumping on their bikes and riding, or in the case of a few, running, after the parade of light and sound.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>He got there last, he thought. It seemed their entire damn neighborhood had got there before he did. That little dark-haired boy rounded the corner of his street and saw the smoke billowing from his house.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>It happened then as it happened now.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Daryl closed up the shop for the night, kicked his bike to life, and drove off towards home, towards Beth. He didn't get very far before the sirens started behind him. He drove in their wake as they pulled into his neighborhood, turned onto his street. It was then that he noticed the smoke rising up from his home. His and Beth's. He pulled up and barely remembered to put down the kickstand when he noticed Beth's car still in the driveway, though Beth was nowhere to be found.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>"Kid? Kid, you can't go in there!" A fireman was yelling, an officer grabbed him when he tried to run towards the blazing house. He was aware that he was yelling too. He was shouting and struggling in the grasp of this stranger.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>"There's nothing we can do!" The stranger told him, holding the small boy back. It wasn't until the boy's older brother came and took the officer's job of holding the kid back that he gave up.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>He collapsed on the ground, a human replica of the small house in front of them as the support beams gave out, any hope of a survivor dashed to hell.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Daryl! I can't let you go in there, brother, you can't go in there!" It was Rick that was holding him back this time. It was Rick and Shane and Tyreese restraining him from running straight into that house. He knew he was shouting, he didn't know what. His ears were ringing, his vision blurring, his entire body trembling with the effort it took to not fall to the ground right then and there. "Daryl, if she's in there she..."</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"If she's in there she's gone." Shane finished, not unkindly.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>And that was the truth of it. If she was in there, she wasn't. The fire rose high above them and the smoke was probably visible for miles. The heat burned even from the distance they were at, yards away, standing in the middle of the street. Daryl couldn't care about anything anymore as he gave up struggling and fell to his knees on the hard pavement. He failed once like this. He failed another woman he loved in this same exact way. He lost her, too.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p><em>He lost her, too</em>.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Tears poured down his face, and for once he didn't give a damn who saw. Voices and noises around him smeared together. Daryl vaguely registered the sound of a car slamming on its breaks not too far away. A shadow covered him from the setting evening sun before slender arms wrapped around him from behind, arms he knew he was imagining because <em>she was gone.</em> She was inside and he lost her. He did, he knew he did. He was doomed to this kind of thing, this horrid replaying of his past, wasn't he?</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Daryl! Daryl, it's okay, I'm here." She said, tightening her arms around him. He shook his head angrily. He couldn't let himself believe it was her, it didn't make sense. "Daryl Dixon, look at me! I'm here, I'm okay. I'm with you!"</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>He looked down, then, at the pale arms around his waist, brought his own hands to cover hers. Felt her around him in an echo of a night in a bedroom so long ago where he poured himself out to her and she held him together like she was now. He turned suddenly, twisting awkward and quick, narrowly missing giving her an elbow to the face. His tears were mirrored on her cheeks as he hugged her desperately to him and they sobbed into one another, their house still ablaze before them.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I'm so sorry, I was-" Beth started to explain through her tears.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"It don't matter. You're here now." Daryl choked out, face buried in her neck.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Yeah," she agreed. "I'm here now."</p>
</div>
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